Bearded Iris for next season

I'm digging them out this weekend.They're normally $3 each at the ABC carpark caper but anyone who does gardening knows they multiply well.


I got a barrowload about this time last year from a neighbour who was reducing the volume in his garden. One gets more flowers if one divides regularly. Now's my turn. Only one colour - and I haven't decided whether I like them or not yet. One thing I know is I have too many.

So I'll give them away to my friends at work - or anybody else - early next week. Contact me by tweet mention @cullenofadelaid.
They'll be in sets of a dozen at a time. Just put them in the ground with the green bit at the top. Hard to kill.


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What do I love about winter?

Mostly I get SAD - seasonal affective disorder - but there are some good things. When the sun is out one can be pleased.


The spring flowering bulbs are moving


with the broccoli seedlings ready to go in


Citrus are ripening


important


when the season needs more vitamin C.


The woodpile is reducing


making room for the prunings that will come from the trees that are now ready for it.


The autumns leaves have almost stopped falling meaning that raking the garden actually tidies it and the rakings and green prunings go beautifully into the compost ready for spring.

Time to turn the heap again

Lots of prunings sitting there waiting to go to the bottom of the pile. Well composted material waiting to go on the top and lots of rain coming down.


So the trick now:
Green on the bottom
Fallen autumn leaves on top of that
Chook or cow manure on top of that
Pile the mature stuff on top of that

It'll cook beautifully, by spring it'll be perfect growing media for when I transplant that tangelo and probably the blood orange.


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My $20 glasshouse timed out

How sad. The plastic I have used for three years to grow out of season tomatoes has just deteriorated with the sunlight UV.


Just as well I had already laid out another $20 for some more..


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Peches Plan

Or so my French friend refers to them. In Australia we simply call them "donut peaches" and I put a tree in last year (a tree that is doing VERY well). Jean-Eric says they are his favourite fruit.

I was feeling all quite happy with the fact that I was growing $9kg fruit in my backyard. It came up later that my friend is from the Loire valley and suggested my next trip we might spend some time there. Yes, my French friend - you win at every turn. A great pleasure to know you.

Lunch at L'Atelier

Well it was good last Wednesday. I raced around Paris, collected images and memories (what'll you do with only a day and a half?) and that was great, but lunch was an amazing experience. A once in a lifetime, to be honest. I enjoyed a magic time with a good friend and simply could not believe it could be done so well. Small portions of perfectly prepared food and wine that was really nice. This was called a "terrine" but it was 2mm thick and beautifully oiled and spiced fish.

The lamb was tiny, but perfect, and each broad bean was lovely too. And the mashed potatoes are impossible to describe.

Then some pork and more mashed potatoes while my buddy had some shellfish:

After a while we decided to have some prosciutto - I couldn't take my eyes off that ham, Jean-Eric tells me it's call Iberico, and the staff told me it gets fed on acorns. It did tastr like Nutella.

And so we had dessert too: J-E had something with rum and I had something with strawberries.

So I know I'm not being all gushy about it. Because that gets a bit old. But it truly was the best restaurant I'd ever been in.

Many thanks mon frere

Jean-Eric suggested I buy some macaroons from the premiere house of these things - La Duree. I went with it and as dessert, back here, after a Habel al la panna, we broke them out.


I was amazed at how well those simple little macaroons communicated everything I'd learnt about the French approach to food. Simple, small, clean and beautiful.
So many thanks, mon frere, you helped me share my experience.


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